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Rural

Our Mission

To nurture connections between communities of people who may, or may not yet, vote Democratic in Virginia’s non-urban areas, to engage local people to determine the issues and priorities that matter to them, and to ensure sustainable rural life and progressive values throughout all of Virginia.

What Is Rural

“Rural” encompasses all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area. According to the U.S. 2010 Census Bureau there are two types of urban areas: Urbanized Areas (UAs) of 50,000 or more people and Urban Clusters (UCs) of at least 2,500 and less than 50,000 people. More …

Who We Are

Anyone who supports the mission of the Rural Caucus. Our leadership is drawn from the members of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Virginia, with representatives on each of Virginia’s 11 Congressional District Democratic Committees.

Events Calendar

Become A Member

Join Today

Statewide half of all voters support the Democratic Party, yet the composition of the General Assembly does not reflect that distribution. Only by engaging Democratic voters in every part of Virginia can we address that imbalance. Rural Democrats have found their voice. Be a part of the solution, become a member – join today! Memberships available for a mere $20/year: online – click here, or download the membership application – click here.

November 7, 2017

Thank you for voting!

Dan grew up in Oklahoma and Arkansas, graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA in Economics and is a retired Marine Corps officer. He cut his teeth in politics during the 1976 New Hampshire primary supporting Senator Fred Harris. Returning to Virginia after a variety of military assignments that took him to the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia, he reentered politics again to support Jim Webb against George Allen and it stuck. Currently working as a Health Care Navigator, he is a member of the Virginia Remote Area Medical core group, the Valley Community Services Board, and volunteers with the VITA program.

Dr. Fergie Reid

Dr. William Fergusion ‘Fergie’ Reid

He was the first African American elected to the Virginia General Assembly in the twentieth century. A medical doctor and community leader in the city of Richmond, Reid was one of the founders of the Crusade for Voters, organized in 1955 and one of the most formidable political organizations in the state. It lobbied for voter registration among African Americans, conducted get-out-the-vote drives, and enabled Reid to win a seat in the House of Delegates from the city of Richmond in 1967 on his second try. Reid served three terms in the assembly. Afterward he was a regional medical officer for the United States Department of State. Reid was the only African American in the General Assembly when he took office in 1968. In 2000 there were fifteen. More about him …

90 for 90

In honor of Fergie Reid’s 90th birthday on March 18, a massive voter registration drive is underway. The “90 for 90” project plans to register at least 90 voters in each of Virginia’s 2,550 precincts, to help commemorate Reid’s legacy. His movement can bring change to Virginia, see more.

Burns is a native of Grenada County, Mississippi, is the founder and principal of Eleison LLC, President of the American Values Network, Executive Vice President of American Bridge, and Senior Advisor to Correct the Record. Strider is best known as the Democratic Party’s “faith guru” and advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton regarding the nation’s diverse and complex tapestry of religious thought and communities. He was senior advisor to Clinton in her 2008 campaign for President. Strider is one of the 12 most influential Democrats in the nation on faith and values politics according to the Religion News Service.

Chair of the DNC Southern Regional Caucus Gilda Cobb-Hunter

Luncheon Topic, “The Importance of Rural Outreach in Democratic Victories in the South”

Chair of the DNC Southern Regional Caucus, former Democratic Leader of the SC House, currently serving as Vice President of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL), and member of the SC House of Representatives (66th District).

A Right & A Privilege

Not everyone in the United States may vote. As a general matter, only those who have reached a certain age, are mentally competent, and are American citizens, are allowed to vote.

About Deb

I would like the Rural Caucus to continue to bring awareness about the political process to the rural areas of the Commonwealth, as well as and understanding about how to elect democrats to office through fundraising, phone banking, canvasing, and GOTV events. I’ve learned through training sessions and meetings I organized in SW Virginia about the differences and similarities with rural and urban areas, and I want to continue building communications between the Chairs and other committee members who may not have internet access or just simply prefer a note in the mail or a phone call.

I am a mother of three, small business owner for the last 15 years. I have been the chair for the past five years of the Democratic Party in Floyd Co., Vice Chair of Chair Associations of Southwest region for the past two years, Vice Chair/Community Outreach of DPVA Rural Caucus, and Central Committee member of the 9th District.

About Mike

I am a native Virginian, born and raised in Williamsburg, educated at Radford, William & Mary, and Virginia Tech. I’ve called Blacksburg home since 1992.

I’ve been a regular in my local Montgomery County Democratic committee since 2000. In 2002 I realized the national zeitgeist was being whipped to frenzy to bait the nation to war using the new forms of media evolving on internet, and I wanted to help fight back against that with my digital skills.

I began my political organizing efforts as a volunteer coordinator and digital captian with the Kaine for Governor campaign in 2005. I’ve grown along with the VAN, and the constantly evolving social media in every campaign since.

I helped found the DPVA Rural Caucus so that I could bring the skills I’ve acquired connect Democrats in every corner of the Commonwealth, and to build stronger, sustainable rural committees that are well-networked and technology proficient. Those well-connected committees will then be well represented through the Rural Caucus in DPVA.

About Terry

Terry C. Frye graduated from East Tennessee State University with a B.S in 1980, the University Of Memphis School Of Law with a J.D. in 1986 and from the University of Virginia with a M.C.R. in 2006. In his legal career, Terry was a Staff Attorney for Legal Services, an Assistant Public Defender for Sullivan County Tennessee and had his own Private law office from 1994 to 2001. He served as Municipal Judge for the City of Bluff City, Tennessee from 1996 to 2001. He has been elected four times as Commissioner of Revenue for Bristol Virginia, which he has served from 2002 to date. He is a past President of the Virginia Commissioner of Revenue Association and was the founder and former Chairman of the Commissioners of Revenue Political Action Committee (CORPAC). In his 35 years of political activity, Terry was the Sullivan County Tennessee Democratic Party Chair from 1994 to 1996 was a member of the Tennessee Democratic Party Central Committee from1992 to1998 and has been a member of Virginia Democratic Party State Central Committee from 2004 to present. He was elected Delegate to 2008 Democratic Convention and Presidential Elector at Large for the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2012. He currently serves as the Ninth District Representative to the following Virginia State Democratic Committees: Rules, Finance, Rural Caucus and Voter Protection. He is a past member of the Kingsport Jaycees (Legal Counsel), the Bristol Rotary Club and the Bristol Host Lions Club (President). In community affairs, Terry has served on the Milligan College and the National Business College Board of Advisors, has been a Volunteer Legal Adviser for SCORE, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Southwest Culinary College, the Bristol Virginia Industrial Development Board the Bristol Host Lions Club, Bristol United Way (also Finance Committee), Bristol Faith in Action, the ETSU Football Foundation (Volunteer Legal Counsel), The Crisis Center (President), The Jesse Walker Educational Foundation, and the Better Earth Foundation. He was the Virginia Middle School Band Boosters Treasurer from 2003 to 2009. Terry is the Founder and President of the World Prayer Foundation and was appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe to Advisory Board on Service and Volunteerism (2015). Terry is happily married to the love of his life, Aviva and has two adult children, Morgan Frye and Ryan Frye and two step-daughters, Batya and Tova Rubenstein. He loves sports, particularly, the Boston Celtics and Red Sox and the Atlanta Falcons. He has three big dogs, who are also his children, Barack, Bashir and Boobaah (the Killer B’s).

About Steve

I was born in a smaller, diverse agricultural / steel community in Colorado (Pueblo), moved in elementary school to live a block away from the wheat fields (outskirts of Denver), but have also lived in suburban Los Angeles and Seattle. Rural has always been part of my DNA, and over the past year 10 years as I’ve worked with Democrats from all across Virginia I’ve become more interested in supporting and understanding the uniqueness of Democratic rural outreach needs.

As a life-long, dedicated Democrat I’ve always worked to passionately support Democratic ideals and our candidates, with a strong desire to see us take on new challenges with new approaches, built on a solid foundation of a healthy Democratic Party. I have worked at all levels of the Democratic Party from precinct captain, magisterial committee chair, congressional district committee member to State Party Secretary. I’ve served on numerous committees from resolutions to rules, state conventions, national convention, working to elect Democrats for every office, and in these capacities it has been my pleasure to meet and learn from Democrats all across the country to bring best practices home to support of our candidates and committees.

Rural areas of the state have very different needs and concerns over more metropolitan regions of the Commonwealth, and I believe that the Rural Caucus will provide ways to open lines of communication to share needs and concerns while finding common areas of concern with all of the state.

I attended DePaul University (Chicago), and graduated from Milligan College (B.A. History). I attended paralegal school in Atlanta, worked in Chicago before returning to Richmond working in civil law, mostly antitrust. Dean and I married, and had our son, Adam, after which I worked as a jury management specialist for circuit court, and then a law firm office administrator. I co-owned a ladies boutique, and most recently worked at Radford University for the President and Board of Visitors, and then with Human Resources.

About Valeria

I wanted to become part of the rural caucus to help bring qualified members to the rural caucus to better Southwest Virginia. I am a life long union member, Vice Chair of Russell County Democrats, and a member of the 9th CD Democratic Committee. I graduated from Virginia Intermont College (B.A. Organizational Management), and my MBA is from King University.

About Vee

Aviva ‘Vee’ Shapiro Frye is the first Chair of the Rural Caucus, and a 36-year veteran of Democratic politics all over the US. She is Vice Chair of the 9th CD Democratic Committee.

Vee lives in Bristol, with her husband Terry, an attorney and Commissioner of the Revenue, who also serves as legal counsel to the Rural Caucus.

Vee’s other love is sports, especially the Red Sox, and her 3 fur babies : Boobaah, Barack and Bashir.